Hello everyone & happy New Year!

I hope you had a merry, or at

This month’s CONTRIBUTORS

Elisabeth Hoff Dancing Queen, p20 The Norwegian photographer

Jenni Murray

An early interview with an unhappy Sarah Ferguson made it clear that Randy Andy’s reputation was far from a joke…

Nigel Havers

The actor, 74, talks about meeting the Rolling Stones, collecting stuffed fish and choosing Jackanory over Hollywood

Let’s talk about… weight loss

Each month our insight team conducts an in-depth poll of Saga customers to find out what you’re thinking

Welcome to January

M any years ago I went out for

Dancing queen

As she sets off on tour, Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas talks about dating apps, her secret to staying slim and why she loves sharing her home with her 88-year-old mother

Sonic BOOM

It’s 50 years since Concorde first flew faster than the speed of sound and changed aviation history, and 22 years since it was grounded – but plans are now afoot to bring supersonic travel back…

The average human being has about 5g of plastic inside them. That’s around a teaspoonful

Microplastics have been found everywhere from the bottom of the sea to inside our brains. How do they affect us – and is there anything we can do about it? We meet the man who discovered them nearly 30 years ago and is still studying the fallout

Jenni’s back on air

As she hosts Saga’s new podcast Experience is Everything , Dame Jenni Murray talks about the thrill of getting back behind the mic and conducting interviews with high-profile guests five years after leaving Woman’s Hour

WHEN JENNI MET MAGGIE…

The first time Jenni Murray met Margaret Thatcher

WELCOME TO EXPERIENCE IS EVERYTHING

Some moments change you. Some experiences turn you

‘How I helped rebuild my mum and dad’

When they reached their eighties, Rhoda and Michael Stephen were facing increasing ailments and a lack of mobility. Until they took up weightlifting. Their daughter, Clare Johnston, describes the transformation

WHY STRENGTH TRAINING MATTERS AS WE AGE

We start losing muscle from around the age

HOW TO GET STARTED WITH STRENGTH TRAINING

If you want to build strength at home,

Old age, young love

On the eve of becoming a nonagenarian, our columnist has figured out what he really cares about – and what he doesn’t. And, happily, his views chime with Miranda

Protect yourself from the CYBER SCAMDEMIC

Watchdog presenter Matt Allwright highlights 2026’s most prominent digital scams and shares his rules for living safely

It’s never too late to…

learn to ride a penny farthing

Ask Annie

Our straight-talking, no-nonsense agony aunt Anne Robinson tackles the problems troubling you

Let there be lights

INTERIORS / RECIPES / WINE / TECHNOLOGY / BEAUTY

A walk on the wild side

Immerse yourself in the world’s most colourful landscapes with our year-round guide to nature’s finest flowering spectacles

Indian empire

Camellia Panjabi brought authentic Indian food to the UK in the 1980s. Now, at 83, she’s putting her homeland’s vegetable dishes front and centre

Tried & tasted

A new survey revealed that this is now the nation’s favourite soup. But which can is worth opening?

Rebel, rebel

Resist the tyranny of New Year’s resolutions with a wine selection inspired by revolutions

Snap happy

Can AI apps bring your fuzzy old photos back to life? Or even turn them into videos?

Smooth operator

Ditching powdered eyeshadow in favour of more flattering cream-based formulas has been a life-changer. Here’s why…

Generation games

Preparing for a winter break prompts a few thoughts about the benefits of cruises – and how our attitude to travel has transformed over the years

Ask Dr Mark

YOUR QUESTIONS /HYPNOTHERAPY / COLLAGEN

Your glass is feeling HEAVY...

Forget clichés about swinging pocket watches, hypnotherapy doesn’t send you to sleep. But could it help our writer cut back on her nightly glass or three of wine?

Is COLLAGEN worth taking?

Not since fish oil has a supplement been as intensely marketed as collagen. But does it really reduce joint stiffness and banish wrinkles? We consult the experts

Paul Lewis

SAVINGS INTEREST / MONEY NEWS

Money news

January 2026

Magnificent seven

NEW SEVEN WONDERS / ANTARCTICA / LETTER FROM AMERICA

Breaking the ice

Join an expedition ship for an awe-inspiring trip to untouched Antarctica and encounter penguins, seals, whales – and icebergs

Letter from America

S o, 2026 is finally upon us. America’s

The Archers at 75

THEATRE / EXHIBITIONS / COMEDY / FILM / RADIO / PODCAST / TV

out and about

EXHIBITION Zandra Rhodes: A Life in Print In

DECADE BUSTERS

TURNING 50 Emma Bunton singer (The Spice Girls),

staying in

PODCAST Life’s A Beach with Alan Carr Celebrity

Maybe it’s cold outside…

But you can escape the winter chill with fiction to warm the soul, ignite the passions and set the pulse racing

letters

THANKS FOR WRITING TO US, WE LOVE HEARING WHAT YOU THINK

You’re all talking about... CASH PAYMENTS

Right to choose Note worthy Thank you for

grey matters

PRIZE CROSSWORD / CRYPTIC CROSSWORD / SUDOKU / CODEBREAKER / FUTOSHIKI / ADD A LETTER / WORD WHEEL / PATHFINDER / PUB QUIZ / ANSWERS

FUTOSHIKI

Fill the blank squares so that each row

ADD A LETTER

Rearrange the letters and add one to these

Codebreaker

Each number in the grid represents a different

WORD WHEEL

See how many words of four letters or

The pub Quiz

A maths formula, the Spanish Armada and Madonna all take centre stage this month

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS £100 prize 5 Cheerful book illuminated ambassador

PATHFINDER

Trace a continuous path, horizontally and vertically but

GODDARD

David Suchet

The world according to…

Word to the wise

Real-life figures inspire countless phrases in English, but the people behind many expressions in the dictionary are lost in the mists of time…